Ayurveda Day: PM Modi to dedicate two Ayurveda institutes today

New Delhi, Nov 13: The AYUSH ministry has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate two Ayurveda institutions -the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar and the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur- to the nation on the occasion of the 5th Ayurveda Day on Friday.

It can be seen that both the institutes are premier institutions of Ayurveda in the country. The former has been conferred the status of an Institution of National Importance (INI) by an Act of Parliament and the latter that of an Institution Deemed to be University (De novo Category) by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Since 2016, the Ministry of AYUSH has been observing the "Ayurveda Day" every year on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras). This year, it falls on Friday.

Considering the prevailing situation of COVID-19, the 5th Ayurveda Day, 2020 is being observed largely on virtual platforms at national and international levels.

The ITRA, Jamnagar, recently created through an Act of Parliament, is poised to emerge as a world-class healthcare institution. It has 12 departments, three clinical laboratories and three research laboratories, the ministry said.

It is also a leader in research work in traditional medicine, conducting 33 research projects currently. The ITRA has been formed by conglomerating the cluster of four Ayurveda institutes on the Gujarat Ayurveda University campus, Jamnagar. It is the first institute in the Ayush sector to be accorded the INI status.

With this, the ITRA will have the autonomy to upgrade the standard of Ayurveda education as it would offer courses in accordance with modern, international standards.

The NIA, Jaipur, an Ayurveda institution with a countrywide repute, got a shot in the arm with the Deemed to be University status. Inheritor of a 175-year legacy, the NIA's contribution to preserving, promoting and advancing authentic Ayurveda in the last few decades has been significant, the statement said.